Decorative films are known which comprise a thermoplastic film coated with a metallic layer. For example, Kurfman et al in U.S. Pat. No. 4,115,619, issued Sep. 19, 1978, describe thermoplastic films which have coated thereon a normally solid soft metal such as indium or an alloy of tin and cadmium, and which can be stretched and elongated without losing the initial specular reflectivity of the metal coating. Such materials are useful, for instance, in covering automobile parts, appliances or other substrates. However, for some applications, it is desirable to provide decorative metal surfaces which have a brushed metal appearance, i.e., a relatively non-specular surface, rather than a highly specular surface.
A protective and decorative sheet material which, upon stretching and thermoforming onto a substrate, exhibits a brushed metal appearance is disclosed in Spahn, U.S. Ser. No. 274,214, filed Nov. 21, 1988. The referenced patent application also discloses a non-continuous method for making such sheet material. It would be highly desirable to provide a method for manufacturing such sheet material more efficiently and economically in a continuous manner. The present invention provides such a method.